STYLE
n a m ‘n Ethan Hodson, an Ohio University senior, wants to make his — and your — dreams come true with his media brand.
A
BY GRACE DEARING | ILLUSTRATION BY ABIGAIL SUMMERS
s a college student, it can be easy to view the world with blinders, focusing only on maintaining an acceptable GPA and nurturing a social life. Ethan Hodson, a senior studying marketing, recognizes the rut that many Ohio University students often fall into and wants to work toward inspiring others to find their passion through his brand RAMBL. According to RAMBL’s mission statement, “RAMBL is a concept based on the idea that there are no boundaries that one can place on what we do, where we go and what we have to look like. We are encouraging and inspiring others to keep going past the limitations life gives us and embrace the journey every step of the way.” Casey Calvetta, a senior studying communications who has modeled for RAMBL in the past, is a dedicated customer and has seen the impact the brand is making first-hand. “I think that it’s good to have someone inspire creativity in others and give them a small platform to be creative,” she says. “Especially going to school in Athens, it’s such a small community and
36
backdrop | Fall 2020
I think it’s important to support local businesses. Ethan gives a lot of people the opportunity to be creative; he’s not just about growing his own brand, but helping other people grow.” Hodson’s brand started as an idea in 2018, but officially launched when he printed his first clothing line in March 2019 for High Fest. Since then, RAMBL has continuously gained momentum and Hodson is expanding beyond clothing. “I’ve always wanted to start a company, it was just more so what kind of business is it gonna be?” Hodson says. “Eventually, I realized all my passion and inspiration revolves around music, clothing and what Tyler the Creator, ASAP Rocky, Pharrell and Kanye are doing ... I started with clothing so that I can pave my way into the music and entertainment industry.” In addition to a custom clothing line, RAMBL offers branding, creative direction, artist management, website design and development and event planning. Recently, RAMBL hosted a fashion show in OU’s CoLab to showcase other brands and artists on campus.